Ballyholme beach fracas case adjourned for two months
The case against three teenage boys, currently on bail facing a number of charges over a fracas on Ballyholme beach, was adjourned for two months today.
As two defendants had been excused, only one of the defendants attended Newtownards Youth Court where a prosecuting lawyer told the court the PPS “are still awaiting the full file.”
She applied for an eight-week adjournment and district judge Amanda Brady said given the amount of work to be done in the case, “that is reasonable.”
The three 16-year-old foreign nationals, who cannot be identified because of their ages, are all charged with assault offences, relating to four complainants, arising from an incident on 11 April this year. On the face of it the most serious charges are against the boy accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, possessing a knuckle duster and a knife, three counts of actual bodily harm and affray “within the vicinity of Bank Lane, Bangor”.
A co-accused faces four charges of ABH, possessing a knuckle duster and a broken bottle and affray, while the last defendant is charged with three counts of ABH and one common assault.
Giving evidence to the court when the three boys were first before the court last month, a police officer said she was familiar with the facts and circumstances and she believed she could connect each of the defendants to their respective charges.
In court today, Judge Brady said she as content to adjourn the case to as August “given the amount if investigative work that must be done and the amount of work for the prosecution to make a decision” on what way the case will proceed.